The Delicate Lady Coroner

Before Zhèng Wén Yàn could comprehend what Datura stramonium was, he heard Huò Wēi Lóu ask: “After Lao Furen died, did anyone ignite any incense in the burner?”

Zhèng Wén Yàn shook his head jerkily. “After Mother’s death, [we] were busy holding Mother’s funeral. Out of all the items inside this Buddha-worshipping Hall, only some of Mother’s remaining belongings were kept, the rest were not touched at all.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows knitted together instantaneously. There was Datura stramonium in the Moon-viewing Pavilion, and there was Datura stramonium in the Buddha-worshipping Hall too, could be it the same culprit?

Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at Hè Chéng, “When you searched the Buddha-worshipping Hall previously, why was none of this discovered?”

Although Zhèng Wén Yàn held onto Zhèng Wén Chén’s corpse and objected to any examination of that corpse early on, he was still given access to the places related to Lao Furen. Hè Chéng wiped away his sweat, “When the government hirelings came here to investigate, the incense ash was completely burnt, and no anomalies were discovered.”

Bó Ruò Yōu hesitated for a moment before stating in a low voice: “Datura stramonium is basically odourless after it has been completely burnt out, and only the colour of the incense ash is different. Unless someone had some medical knowledge, it’s quite unlikely for an ordinary person to distinguish it.”

Huò Wēi Lóu shot a look at Bó Ruò Yōu, desiring to say something but he suppressed it in the end. Then, he proceeded to ask Zhèng Wén Yàn: “Has everyone in the residence gathered?”

Huò Wēi Lóu arrived at the residence last afternoon, and the inspection of the corpses took quite a bit of time, so he had yet to meet all the people within the residence. In light of the present circumstances, the majority of the people in the residence had the environment to commit the crime, but what their motives were, warranted some in-depth investigation. 

Zhèng Wén Yàn hurriedly said: “They have all been gathered, they are waiting in the reception hall right now.”

“Bring away the incense ash.” After instructing Hè Chéng, Huò Wēi Lóu told Zhèng Wén Yàn, “Lead the way.”

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Bó Ruò Yōu did not follow him this time around. She was a coroner; adept at examining corpses and looking for evidence of crime, but she rarely met the suspects. She flipped through the incense ash inside the burner again, and upon noticing the small quantity of incense ash, it was unknown what she was thinking, but she suddenly made her way towards the tall windows to check them one by one. Sure enough, in the northwest corner where Lao Furen copied her scriptures, she discovered that a part of the window paper was broken.

Hè Chéng trailed after her, and similarly noticed the small hole which bore the black stains that came from fumigation.

Bó Ruò Yōu said: “When that person arrived, they learned that Lao Furen was copying the scriptures, so they used the knockout drug first, but Lao Furen was not fully incapacitated. The fact that Lao Furen doesn’t have any external injuries on her body is sufficient in proving that the murderer never used any physical force, and they probably provoked Lao Furen first, and then watched as Lao Furen’s illness acted up, which saved them the trouble instead.”

Having said that, Bó Ruò Yōu asked: “Daren, is there a medicine storehouse in the residence?”

Hè Chéng replied tersely, “There should be.”

Most aristocratic and influential families had a medicine storehouse to prepare for a possible period of want or need. Bó Ruò Yōu asserted, “Datura stramonium is expensive, and the treatment of common ailments doesn’t require this drug. Supposing that someone specifically went out to buy it, it is likely to draw the attention of others, but if the medicine storehouse already possesses that drug, it would be much easier for the culprit to act.”

After pausing momentarily, Bó Ruò Yōu continued to say: “Actually, the usage of Datura stramonium is somewhat clumsy on the culprit’s modus operandi. This tranquilising drug isn’t that hard to discover, but once it has been discovered, the belief of a ghost killing people is no longer tenable. What else did that murderer do under the guise of Lao Furen?”

Hè Chéng issued an order to a government hireling, “Go and ask if there’s a medicine storehouse in the residence.”

The government hireling immediately went to make inquiries with his order. The existence of a medicine storehouse was known by everyone, so the government hireling received an affirmative answer once he asked a managerial boy servant. He returned after a short moment: “Daren, the residence has a medicine storehouse.”

Hè Chéng became firm in his heart, “Go, to meet the Marquis.”

Since Marquis Wuzhao was currently in the residence, Marquis Wuzhao naturally had to be informed of this matter. Bó Ruò Yōu then followed Hè Chéng to the Marquis Residence’s reception hall.

Just as they reached the reception hall, they promptly saw the room teeming with people in vast blacks. These people were all clad in white silk mourning robes, and they were all masters within the residence.

They had just reached the door when they heard Huò Wēi Lóu’s deep voice asking: “Where is Da Furen?”

Bó Ruò Yōu observed the hall in a sweeping motion. The Second Furen and Zhèng Xiāo whom she saw last night were present. Behind them was Zhèng Wén Yàn and another woman, and that woman had a seven- or eight-year-old child beside her, which she guessed was the Third Furen and Zhèng Wén Yàn’s son. Standing right at the back was Zhèng Wén Ān and his wife, whereas a single fifteen- or sixteen-year-old lady stood right at the front. Judging from her side profile, Bó Ruò Yōu felt that this lady was tall and penetrating in expression and disposition, with an honest countenance to match. She reckoned that she was the Marquis Residence’s Oldest Young Lady Zhèng Yún Ní, who was about to marry His Second Highness.

“Replying to Hou’ye’s words, Mother is gravely ill, and it’s not convenient for her to come out and appear before guests.”

Zhèng Yún Ní’s tone of voice was elegant; though she was a female and a junior, she played a critical role in the family.

Huò Wēi Lóu scowled slightly, turning to glance at the embroidered emissary at his side. That embroidered emissary had already investigated everyone in the residence, so he inclined his body to murmur something into Huò Wēi Lóu’s ear. Huò Wēi Lóu’s knitted brows eased a little, and he did not pursue the question further.

“Lao Furen and Zhèng Wén Chén’s death, it can be assumed that all of you are aware of it. It was hard to determine if this case was a homicide early on, but now it has been confirmed that the pair had died because they were conspired against, and everyone here has the opportunity to commit the crime if they have no alibi.”

These words caused all of their complexions to change slightly. Zhèng Yún Ní said: “Hou’ye, putting aside Zumu’s death first, but on the night of Second Uncle’s death, all of us were by Zumu’s temporary resting coffin, and we can testify for each other.”

The others nodded in agreement. Huò Wēi Lóu stared at Zhèng Yún Ní, expression serene and deep.

Zhèng Yún Ní’s posture was erect; because she had something to rely on, she did not fear Huò Wēi Lóu as much as Zhèng Wén Yàn. After all, if she became the Second Prince’s principal consort, she did not have to kneel and bow to Huò Wēi Lóu when she met him, and it was common knowledge that the current Emperor Jianhe favoured the Guifei’s son. If His Second Highness was canonised as the Crown Prince in the future, perhaps there might be a day where Huò Wēi Lóu had to kneel to her.

At this moment, Hè Chéng entered the reception hall, sidling up to Huò Wēi Lóu to whisper two sentences in his ear. Huò Wēi Lóu’s pupils shrank, and in the next moment, he looked towards Bó Ruò Yōu. For the sake of etiquette, Bó Ruò Yōu had stopped in front of the hall’s doors without going in, and now that Huò Wēi Lóu was looking over, it made everyone look over as well. Once they saw a beautiful woman standing outside the hall, their expressions contorted.

Then they heard Huò Wēi Lóu ask: “The residence’s medicine storehouse, who is in charge?”

Zhèng Wén Yàn stepped forward at this moment. “Replying to Hou’ye, it is being managed by zaixia.”

在下 (pinyin: zai xia) – myself (humble).

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at him deeply, then looked towards Hè Chéng again. Hè Chéng beckoned Zhèng Wén Yàn with his hand, ordering him to step out of the reception hall. It was unclear what he said in a lowered voice, but Zhèng Wén Yàn’s expression changed as he said: “I remember now, the residence’s storehouse certainly possesses this drug, but the keys to the medicine storehouse is usually with me, and without my keys, it’s not possible to open the medicine storehouse.”

Hè Chéng immediately replied: “One will be troubling Third Master to dispatch someone to retrieve the keys as soon as possible, I want to bring my men over to inspect the medicine storehouse later.”

Zhèng Wén Yàn gestured towards his personal servant, issuing a tart instruction before that servant turned around and left. Inside the hall, Huò Wēi Lóu said: “From now onwards, everyone will be entering the side hall in succession, benhou has questions to ask.”

Huò Wēi Lóu stood up and headed into the side hall, with Fu gonggong and Hè Chéng trailing after him. The embroidered emissaries who were left behind watched over the reception hall, and Bó Ruò Yōu intuitively felt the inferiority of her identity so she stood outside the door waiting. But very swiftly, Fu gonggong came out of the side hall and waved his hand at her. “Bó guniang, come—”

Bó Ruò Yōu was somewhat surprised, and she entered the side hall under the attentive gazes of the Zheng family members.

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Just as she came to a standstill, Zhèng Yún Ní walked in. Huò Wēi Lóu wore his cold intent like a cloak as he sat in the main seat, with Fu gonggong and Hè Chéng flanking him on the left and right respectively, but the person asking questions wasn’t him.

Smiling, Fu gonggong said, “Oldest Young Lady, on the night of Lao Furen’s death, where were ȳou?”

Zhèng Yún Ní’s countenance was clear and pretty, her deportment elegant. Every gesture and smile exhibited the fact that she had received the best education, she could be considered as tall and pert among her female peers. She stood inside the hall, high-browed and lower jaw raised. Even though Fu gonggong was the one asking the question, her eyes were trained on Huò Wēi Lóu, as if only Huò Wēi Lóu had the right to question her, “That night, Second Uncle and Zumu got into an unpleasant argument, and I returned to my courtyard without partaking in the New Year’s dinner. Afterwards, I bathed and rested, not leaving my room’s door for the entire night, and it was only the early morning of the next day where I learned that something bad had happened to Zumu, which prompted me to rush towards the Buddha-worshipping Hall. This fact can be testified by my maidservants Mò Shū and Huà Yì, the other younger female servants within the courtyard can testify as well.”

Huò Wēi Lóu was not looking at Zhèng Yún Ní. He was wearing a black jade ornamental ring on his left thumb, and presently, he was playing with the black jade ornamental ring in a careless manner.

Fu gonggong continued to ask: “What about the night Second Master met with his demise?”

Zhèng Yún Ní glanced at Fu gonggong, a touch of impatience lining her tone, “I’ve already said just now that all of us were at Zumu’s mourning hall, because it was the seventh day after her death, a religious ceremony was about to take place.”

The smile on Fu gonggong’s visage did not fluctuate in the slightest. “All of us? Has the Oldest Young Lady thought through this clearly?”

A dark glint flashed past the bottom of Zhèng Yún Ní’s eyes, but once she caught sight of Huò Wēi Lóu, she did not dare to be insolent. “That night, Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt were the first to arrive, followed by me, with Second Aunt and Zhèng Xiāo coming after, then Third Aunt and Zhèng Hào, and last being Third Uncle. Second Uncle did not appear the entire time, which we found to be strange. Third Uncle proceeded to dispatch someone to search for him, and not long after, someone came to report, stating that Second Uncle had entered the Moon-viewing Pavilion with a strange expression, going as far as locking the door from the inside, and he would not respond no matter how they called out to him—

“I didn’t want to care about it at the start, but the boy-servant’s narration was queer; the religious ceremony needed Second Uncle to be present, so I travelled towards the Moon-viewing Pavilion together with the rest…”

Fu gonggong inquired, “Did everyone go together then?”

Zhèng Yún Ní knitted her brows, “No, Third Uncle stayed behind, because the various shifu doing the religious ceremony were still around, and he needed to take care of the shifu. However, when the accident happened at the end, Third Uncle was present as well.”

师父 (pinyin: shi fu) — in this context, it is a term of respect for the Buddhist monks that are conducting the religious ceremony.

Fu gonggong reiterated his question again, “Oldest Young Lady has to state it clearly, did the Third Master arrive before Second Master fell, or did he arrive after Second Master fell?”

Zhèng Yún Ní furrowed her brows even tighter and looked at Huò Wēi Lóu again. She said with much restraint: “I’m not sure either. I was standing at the front, and everyone was badly shaken after the accident happened. Once I turned my head back, Third Uncle was already there, I don’t know when he arrived.”

Pursing her lips tightly, Zhèng Yún Ní raised her chin even higher.

Fu gonggong peered at Huò Wēi Lóu, then twisted his head and said smilingly, “Alright then, Oldest Young Lady’s questioning will end here. After leaving, please ask Second Furen and Da gongzi to come in.”

Zhèng Yún Ní glowered at Huò Wēi Lóu who hadn’t looked at her from the beginning to the end, seemingly displeased. In the end, however, she still bent her knees and bowed before walking outwards.

Once she left, Fu gonggong exhaled through his mouth, some helplessness seeping into his smile. At that moment, Bó Ruò Yōu sensed a bit of mockery.

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The Second Furen and Zhèng Xiāo came in.

Compared to last night, Second Furen’s complexion seemed to be worse, whereas Zhèng Xiāo could not stop his eyes from sweeping towards Bó Ruò Yōu. Huò Wēi Lóu raised his eyes at this moment to observe them, and Second Furen’s expression became even more flustered.

Fu gonggong still appeared as affable as always. “Second Furen does not have to be afraid, only a few simple questions will be asked. If [you] wish to know how Second Master died earlier, [you] just need to answer the questions truthfully.”

Second Furen nodded. Zhèng Xiāo held onto Second Furen’s skirt tightly, shrinking half of his body behind Second Furen.

Fu gonggong did not pay any heed, only saying: “On the night of Lao Furen’s death, what was the time when Second Master left both of you? When he left, what was his mood like?”

Second Furen did not look at Fu gonggong, nor did she look at Huò Wēi Lóu. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the ground two feet in front of her, spirit weary, and her volume was akin to a fly’s buzz, “He… He left at hai shi (9PM), and when he left, he was angry…”

“Did he speak any words of agitation?”

“He… He only said why did Mother have to go back on her words…”

Huò Wēi Lóu raised his head while Second Furen thinned her lips and said: “He said Mother once told him that she would pass him the noble title, and wanted him to change his personality. The request for his title was supposed to be in the folded booklet that was going to be handed up for the New Year, but Mother had yet to make any movements, so he said that Mother had gone back on her words.”

Fu gonggong’s expression became stricter by a smidgen, “And afterwards?”

“He later shoved open the door and left. It was only till the morning of the second day where we saw him at the Buddha-worshipping Hall after we learned that Mother had met with her demise. He looked dispirited, as if he was still waking up from a hangover. Third Younger Brother asked him where he was last night, and he stammered out that he was in the study. Third Younger Brother then said that there was no one there when he sent the wine and dishes to his study, claiming that he was lying. Hence, both of them started arguing, and they reported it to the officials afterwards.”

Having spoken to this point, Second Furen suddenly raised her eyes. Because the bottom of her eyes was full of blood vessels, it gave the feeling that she was going to cry tears of blood. “But he would never kill. Third Younger Brother bit down on the fact that it was him only because he was vying for the noble title, and he even told us to hand over Mother’s folded booklet. This proves that Mother was genuinely preparing to offer up the folded booklet to request the title for Husband. The person who should be anxious is Third Younger Brother; if someone is really conspiring to murder, it shouldn’t be Husband…”

As she continued to speak, tears started to stream down from Second Furen’s eyes. Zhèng Xiāo’s mouth became a line as if he was going to cry as well. It was at this moment where a government hireling appeared at the entrance, and Hè Chéng quickly stepped forward in response. After hearing the government hireling’s message, he returned to Huò Wēi Lóu’s side in quick strides.

With a heavy expression, he said: “The Third Master can’t find the keys to the medicine storehouse, he said the keys are missing.”

Huò Wēi Lóu stopped fiddling with the ornamental jade ring on his hand, lifting his eyes abruptly to ask: “Last night, why did Zhèng Xiāo say that Zhèng Wén Yàn is an inauspicious person?”